Q. What are the ‘Rites’ of the Catholic Church we hear of?
A. “By divine Providence it has come about that various churches, established in various places by the apostles and their successors, have in the course of time coalesced into several groups, organically united.”
These words from Lumen Gentium serve as a reminder that the Catholic Church is not monolithic but is built on diversity. Often, we think of this diversity in terms of ethnic or racial backgrounds, language, or geography. But this diversity exists even in the types of Churches that comprise the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Because of historical and cultural circumstances (especially the division of the Western and Eastern Roman Empire), communities of Catholics throughout the world developed their own traditions and practices, leading to considerable diversity in the way that Catholicism is lived in these Churches.
Under the umbrella of the Catholic Church there are 24 Churches sui iuris. Sui iuris is roughly translated as autonomous or self-governing and is defined in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEO) as “A group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy according to the norm of law which the supreme authority of the Church expressly or tacitly recognizes” (CCEO c. 27).
The Church sui iuris that is the most well-known is the Latin Church. Essentially every diocese in the West is part of the Latin Church.
However, the 23 other Churches sui iuris, though smaller, are no less Catholic than the Latin Church and are in full communion with the Pope and the College of Bishops. “These Churches retain their own traditions, without in any way opposing the primacy of the Chair of Peter, which presides over the whole assembly of charity and protects legitimate differences, while at the same time assuring that such differences do not hinder unity but rather contribute toward it” (Lumen Gentium 13).
Each Church sui iuris observes its own Rite. The Latin Church (with few exceptions) observes the Roman Rite, while each of the other Churches sui iuris observe a Rite that arose from either the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean, or Constantinopolitan traditions. While a Rite is primarily associated with liturgy, it also encompasses distinct spirituality, theology, and discipline. Different Rites observe different spiritual practices, hold to some different theological ideas, celebrate according to different liturgical norms and practices, and have different laws. Despite these differences, all Churches sui iuris remain untied as part of the Catholic Church.
Because of this unity, all Catholics are free to participate in the life of any Church sui iuris. They all have valid sacraments and Catholics are free to attend Mass (often referred to as Divine Liturgy in Eastern Churches) at a parish that belongs to a different Church sui iuris. While the Mass may look different when celebrated according to a different Rite, it is the same Mass of Jesus Christ.
While we may be struck by the differences, it is important to remember that, as Lumen Gentium said, “this variety of local churches with one common aspiration is splendid evidence of the catholicity of the undivided Church.”
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, vice chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
